My friend Katherine left for New York last Tuesday. Katherine was one of my closest friends and confidantes. She was the one person I'd call if I wanted to check out any up-and-coming band at The Crocodile, The Showbox, or at Neumo's. She also got me familiar with really great music from The Helio Sequence and Spoon. It was great going music shopping with her. She also got to drag me around other places in town to enjoy food and drink like Le Pichet and The Palomino. I relate so much to her intellectual pursuits; the books, the movies, art. We speak the same language on many instances, except for our contrasting opinions about classical vs. jazz and whether or not Bowie's glam rock ever had any musical credibility at all.

It's strangely interesting that I never thought I'd have an ongoing bond with someone whom I've worked with for only about three weeks--and that was about three years ago. She got the boot around week number three after being habitually late. I personally didn't think she liked the job anyway. I realized later on that she gets bored easily if there isn't anything that challenges her. Well, there proves my theory about why she didn't stick it out.

Our conversations ranged from our similar liberal political stance (she's perhaps more leftist than I am though), how some Filipino actors and actresses like Boyet DeLeon and Dina Bonevie never seem to age, the complex levels of meaning in Jeunet's movies, her brother who's in prison, her East Indian boyfriend and his hangups, how attractive Neko Case is...elements within our sphere that interest us. She's pretty knowledgeable for a young age. Her maturity level seems to be at around 35-36 years old to my 12.

She's always mentioned that she wanted to live in New York if given the opportunity. I've always known that she had this planned. It finally got set in motion as soon as New Year's day this year. I envy her sometimes because she's got more intestinal fortitude than me to simply up and leave for another place without much thought. She's smart and streetwise, so I don't think it's too much for her to readjust to her new life out there.

I, on the other hand, have to look for someone else game enough that has the same need to see pretty much every show that comes to town.

Here's to my friend and all the hope that she's going to make it out there. Salut!

I've been jamming to Blur, the version with Graham Coxon in the lineup lately. It's strangely interesting that I started out not really liking this band especially during the time of the Britpop wars of '95. I was in the Oasis camp during that time period. Little did I know back then that while these two giants were tussling, Radiohead was at the back-end making power moves releasing the now-classic The Bends. That's another story all together though.

The lineup for Ozzfest 2005 was announced today and it looks like a winner. They're stopping by my backyard on August 11th. If there isn't anything pressing going on in my summer schedule, I may have to take a trip out at the White River Ampitheater. With Iron Maiden, Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, The Haunted, and even Battle For Ozzfest winner A Dozen Furies taking either mainstage or second stage this summer, it's so worth it to get down to Auburn for this affair.

After a whole lot of entries, it looks like things evened out with the drought of posts.

I got an email message from the sis with some questions about music. Instead of pestering everyone else with my useless answers and thereby spamming the lot of them, I might as well post those answers here in my blog. So here goes:

1. Song that sounds like happy feels:
Snow Patrol's Chcocolate seems to be it for me right now.

2. Earliest (music) memory:
Easy--the opening and end music to Voltes V

3. Last CD you bought:
Death Cab For Cutie's The John Byrd EP and M83's Before The Dawn Heals Us, just yesterday. And to think that I've also still got to digest Kings of Leon's Aha Shake Heartbreak.

4. Reminds you of school:
Elementary School
Michael Jackson's Thriller, biyatchez...you couldn't escape that back in the day.

Around Middle School
There was this band called Industry that had a song called State of The Nation which best buddy Donn and I seemed to fancy a lot. I liked a lot of Spandau Ballet too. I thought Tony Hadley had the white boy soul flowing through his veins.

High School
I used to hang out with this dude in high school, Mark, who in our sophomore year terrorized another guy in our school. It was interesting that he used to sing The Pet Shop Boys' Opportunities as he smeared ink all over the backside of David B's school shirt, David being unaware, of course. I liked metal mostly when I was at this stage--Crue, Metallica, etc.

College
I got into a lot of Filipino rock music by this time--Eraserheads' Superproxy and Back2Me make the most kickass first and second songs for an album and True Faith's Hi to name a couple of groups. For non Filipino artists, I really got into Everything But The Girl's Amplified Heart album at this point.

5. Total Music Files on your PC:
There's about 1,124 files in my PC right now as I just checked, ranging from Modjo and Michael Jackson's mashup Smooth Lady to Metallica's Hit The Lights from a St Anger live bootleg from Paris.

6. Song for listening to repeatedly when depressed:
You know you've hit rock bottom when you've put on Beck's Guess I'm Doing Fine

7. Sounds British, but isn't:
The Dears, namely their vocalist Murray does a convincing Morrissey in Lost In The Plot. They also get to say "aboot" a lot.

8. Song you love, band you hate:
A little bit of a guilty pleasure here: Yellowcard's Only One

9. A favorite song from the past that took ages to
track down:
It took me so many years to find Aztec Camera's Deep and Wide and Tall. I only managed to get a copy of the Love album in 1997--around 10 years, really.

10. Bought the album for one good song:
I'm not in the habit of buying albums for one good song. I've got this standard of only really buying a record if it's got at least 3 good tracks. I did go blindly though with Marvelous 3's Hey! Album for Freak of The Week. I was then introduced to the amazing songwriting of Butch Walker.

11. Worst song to get stuck in your head:
Total Eclipse of The Heart, I guess. It all makes up for good fun though if you remember it the way it was sung in Old School.

12. Best song to dump a beer on someone's head to,
then storm out of the bar?
Man, that would probably be NWA's Straight Outta Compton. Once you hear that song, you're bound to think that you could set anyone who'd act a fool straight!

13. Who should do this next?
I really can't say. It's up to whomever else wants to respond to this.

My Nuno Bettencourt Washburn N2 guitar has become one of my closest friends. It's one of those instruments that make me sound much better than I used to. I had to struggle for so many years to reconcile the music I hear in my head with what actually courses through my fingers. I've made different mistakes that hampered my technical development on the guitar. One of those things happened to be the strings that I used. I usually packed guage 10 strings so that I could get the heaviness out on my lead guitar playing. I found that a big disadvantage after long, strenuous hours of rehearsal or when I go through my lead routines. My hands seemed to get tired quickly because of the size of the strings I installed. Another was the disadvantage of the narrow fretboard. My main axe for so many years had been my black Fender Strat. I had a nice lead tone on the neck pickup but wasn't satisfied with the way I executed my scales and arpeggios. Forward to many years later and a few minor repairs on my Washburn N2. I got to appreciate the jumbo sized frets that give a lot of allowance for my fretting fingers not to hit the adjacent strings. The lower action also got me through a lot of my lines faster and cleaner. I haven't been more satisfied than ever with my technical execution. Thanks for the guitar specs, Nuno!

I must be on a creative roll today! This is my third post--quite the record.

I've always thought that Morissey was and is a lyrical genius. His use of sarcasm, irony, and clever double entendres are some of the best delivered. If they were committed to paper, they'd still stand out strong without the music. It's better though with it especially since this would satisfy both my need for a strong melody and my craving for creative literary and figurative descriptions. This Irishman would do Oscar Wilde proud.

With that being said, here are some of my favorite lyrics from The Smiths:

Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now:
"In my life/Why do I smile/At people who I'd much rather kick in the eye"

There is a Light that Never Goes Out:
"And if a ten-ton truck/Kills the both of us/To die by your side/Well, the pleasure - the privilege is mine"

Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me:
"Last night I dreamt/That somebody loved me/No hope, but no harm/Just another false alarm"

Bigmouth Strikes Again:
"Oh ... sweetness, sweetness, I was only joking/When I said by rights you should be bludgeoned in your bed"

Panic:
"Burn down the disco/Hang the blessed DJ/Because the music that they constantly play/It says nothing to me about my life"

Cemetry Gates:
"Keats and Yeats are on your side/While Wilde is on mine"

Shoplifters of The World Unite:
"I was bored before I even began"

This Charming Man (note: all y'all metrosexuals take heed!):
"I would go out tonight/but I haven't got a stitch to wear/this man said "It's gruesome/that someone so handsome should care""

I Know It's Over:
"I know it’s over/And it never really began/But in my heart it was so real/And you even spoke to me, and said :/If you’re so funny/Then why are you on your own tonight ?/And if you’re so clever/Then why are you on your own tonight ?"

Ask:
(The whole song is a stroke of genius. First, Morissey mentions about how shyness and coyness is nice to whomever the song was intended for. He then uses this perceived virtuous quality and dares that person to ask if there's something he'd like to try--who we'll know will easily rather rumple himself into the fetal position out of fear of shame. It hits you later on that he was being patronizing--awesome! Remember to write that buck-tooth girl in Luxemburg)

Here are some from his solo work that I should devote a different section to--it's too good to pass up though. It's also pretty obvious that my favorite solo album is Your Arsenal.

You're The One For Me, Fatty:
"You’re the one for me, fatty/You’re the one I really, really love/And I will stay/Promise you’ll say/If I’m in your way"

We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful:
"We hate it when our friends become successful/And if they're northern, that makes it even worse/And if we can destroy them/You bet your life we will/Destroy them/If we can hurt them/Well, we may as well"


After reading all that, pick up a copy of The Queen Is Dead and bear witness to stellar songwriting in the 80's.

See:
Cartoon Network's Adult Swim - Every night, there's something special about this block of programming. If I wanted stoner fare with seemingly incongruent, far-out humor, I can get it through the adventures of Shake, Fry, and Meatwad on Aqua Teen Hunger Force. I enjoy their Saturday night programming because it continues to feed my anime habit (which afterall started since I was knee high to a grasshopper) with Ghost In The Shell. I like this series because the stories make the viewer ponder about the consequences of automated technology in our day-to-day living. There's also the continuing series of the battle for earth in Gundam Seed--the best elements of the original Gundam series and the Wing series have all been combined in this action and drama-packed space opera.

Read:
Under The Radar - This rag reminds me so much of another mag I used to read called The Score. The layout, the bands, the paper, and the interview style is so from another time. When I leaf through this magazine's pages, I remember going back to my senior year in high school reading about Pinoy bands like Identity Crisis, The Dawn, IOV, Dead Ends along side US/UK torchbearers Morissey, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Sisters of Mercy, and many others. I think this was the last magazine to interview Eliott Smith before he offed himself.

Hear:
Every Heart (right click, save as everyone!) - This song by Jpopsters BoA ends up playing in my head each time an episode of InuYasha on Adult Swim ends (see link above). Even if I'm more of a fan of Utada Hikaru's music (that you'd expect from someone who's listened to her stuff since 1998's First Love album--yeah, clown on me all you want!), this seems rather good and catchy nonetheless.



Hikki-Kawaii :-)...Too bad she's taken

I've also been listening to Uncut Magazine's New Music for 2005 CD which contains sonic goodness from LCD Soundsystem, Mercury Rev, The Magnetic Fields, and (my new favorite band who's CD I need to pick up soon) M83. I could do without the Bright Eyes track to speak frankly. There's something about Conor Oberst that seems off-putting to me.

The first time I got wind of Henry Rollins, I was listening to radio station RX 93 on a Friday night. They had a very interesting show which focused on the best in alternative rock for about a couple of hours. It deviated from the station's usual pop music fare. The DJs featured the new Rollins Band album The End Of Silence. I was amazed by how crushingly heavy this music was. The instrumentation took the good things out of jazz, metal, and hardcore punk and mixed it into something new and amazing--just like the music of this band's contemporaries Living Colour, Faith No More, and even Body Count--basically all these bands that have come to define the Lollapalooza summer tours of subsequent years before it was corrupted by the William Morris (talent) Agency. Hank was also the vocalist of this little known East Coast combo called Black Flag. I got to see first hand his focus and zeal when he fronted the nth incarnation of The Rollins Band in 2001, not cutting any crap at all by hard charging from one song to another almost without any break, maybe only acknowledging the audience's presence once or twice.

Aside from his work in seminal punk and rock bands, he's also been in films like Heat and The Chase. He's also been known for his free-verse poetry and his spoken-word sessions. I really liked his work in Now Watch Him Die, which deconstructs some of his random thoughts on touring, the murder of one of his closest friends, Joe Cole, and his social isolation. Being in a new country in 1994, dealing with a new culture, and facing the cold embrace of loneliness, this book was a source of comfort for me. I got to admire his work because I knew I wasn't alone trying to get through all this. I found comfort in finding someone going through adversity equally or much greater so than mine.

I got to see Shock and Awe this afternoon. Hank had to get it off his chest about how George W seems to not "be all there" and that he's the manifestation of corporate self-interest taking over the government (amen there!). I could identify with how he has to deal with loneliness and look at it from a humorous angle. He also mentions a lot about his insatiable consumption for food and self-gratification. He also talked about how he did a USO stint for the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq (the DVD has pictures of it too). He also relates how he got together with Ben Folds, William Shatner, and Adrian Belew to record music for Shatner's album. I personally like how he told the story of how the fanboy in him emerged as he got to shake the hand of King Crimson's guitar player, just like a Trekkie would at a convention. The irony was that it was during the time that he was laying down tracks for the guy who played Captain Kirk.

The most awesome thing about the DVD for me is that he captured the show at The Moore Theater. I, for a while, was thinking of going to this spoken word session but again couldn't remember the circumstance behind why I didn't. It didn't matter to me at this point since I got to see it anyway. I'm sure the next time he rolls into town, I'm not missing it. He is so much my role model from the way he articulates his thoughts, to his physical stamina performing onstage either with The Rollins Band or in his spoken word sets, to his thoughts on how things are with the world right now and his personal mantra: "this is me; if you don't like it, I don't care".

If you have a chance to see this DVD, let me quote him on this: Get some, go again!

You've got to hear this mp3 that was created for a Starbuck's leadership meeting. If you thought you hated Starship's We Built This City just like the editorial staff at Blender Magazine did, well, you're in for a torturous treat! We've now got this classic piece of crap with modified lyrics to suit the suits at our favorite coffee monger.

Download Jefferson Starbucks Here!

I feel drained. I've been up past midnight and waking up at 6 for the past few days. My sleep patterns have been compromised because of the training course I've been attending this week.

It didn't help that I was at Chop Suey last night with Alison to check out Brazilian Girls, West Indian Girl, and Mercir. I got there at 9 and caught all of Mercir's set. I like their interesting mix of Coldplay-style moodiness over the bed of electronic beats, mainly drum n' bass. I didn't get to see Alison until midway into Brazilian Girls' set. Their vocalist seemed to have the same stylist as Blade Runners'. She looked like Darryl Hannah's android femme fatale from the movie--nice homage. The music was good. It was great for them to have the crowd yell pussypussypussypussypussypussypussymarijuana....all fun. I'm sure I would've had more fun if a) it was Friday or Saturday night, b) if I wasn't too pooped from all that activity earlier in the day, and c) if Alison showed up earlier.

I didn't stay for West Indian Girl's set. I think I disappointed Alison a bit that I didn't stick around. Well, it was between hanging out with her and getting my alcohol-soaked, tired old-man ass to bed for some needed rest.

I got to bed by 1 and was pissed as soon as the alarm woke me up at 6 later on.

Also, Happy Birtday to my favorite sister, Miel!

Okay, I finally got done checking out the IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards. I was glad to see that Sideways cleaned out big. The only other Alexander Payne movie I've seen was Election and that was also smart and funny. It's also gotten me interested in Pinot too (just like everyone else who's seen the film, I'm sure). It's unfortunate that they've snubbed Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind even for at least screenplay, or director.


Which leads me to tonight's Academy Awards. The same can be said about the snub for Eternal Sunshine again here. I can also say the same for Garden State. I still don't think those films need any award at all, but it would be a great feather in the proverbial cap for these.


Anyway, here's my list of who should win and who I think will win (note: anything in bold face got the award):


Adapted Screenplay
Who'll win--Million Dollar Baby
My Choice--Million Dollar Baby
Winner--Sideways

Original Screenplay
Who'll win--The Aviator
My Choice--Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind

Best Director
Who'll win--Clint Eastwood
My Choice--Clint Eastwood

Best Supporting Actress
Who'll win--Cate Blanchett
My Choice--Virginia Madsen

Best Supporting Actor
Who'll win--Thomas Haden Church
My Choice--Clive Owen
Winner--Morgan Freeman

Best Actress
Who'll win--Hilary Swank
My Choice--Kate Winslet

Best Actor
Who'll win--Jamie Foxx
My Choice--Jamie Foxx

Best Picture
Who'll win--Ray
My Choice--Million Dollar Baby

I'll make a follow-up post to see how our guesses turned out.

(After 3 hours...)

Well, we're done with catching all the festivities. As you've seen above, I've made updates to the post to show y'all how we fared in all the guesswork. I'm glad to see that Eternal Sunshine and Million Dollar Baby came out with a few good awards that proved me wrong in my predictions. I'm also glad that Jamie Foxx got that award. You'll have to refer to my previous post on Ray to see how I gushed over his acting ability. It's really too bad that Scorsese got shut out again. I'm somehow glad that The Aviator didn't win the Best Picture Award since both Ray and Million Dollar Baby to me seemed to be better movies anyway.

Again, I'll have to cry foul over Eternal Sunshine not even nominated for Best Picture or Paul Giamatti not even selected for Best Actor. Way to go for Paul though that he got his props the night before at the IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards. I'm sure if Paul plays lead in something next year, he'll get a sympathy nomination and vote the same way it was for Russel Crowe or Denzel Washington in previous years.

I still had fun guessing and watching the awards nonetheless. I'm sure we'll be doing this very same song and dance again next year.